Okay, I love Olympia again!! I don't know what I was thinking last night, it was quite late when I replied to you and I think I was crazy! Angelina was gorgeous in that movie and now you have me picturing that too, so I'm alright again. I think Olympia might replace Nimue on my top five for you. It's beautiful and I'm insane! Can I blame exhaustion??

Lily

TeenBerry

Interest in family history, classic literature and mythology led to a love for names!

Well, I was just popping on to comment and decided to read the last page before commenting. Good thing since the name list is updated. I'm sad to see Boudicca and Isolde are gone, though I suppose the point was to eliminate. My SO recently discovered Boadicea and has been singing her praises the last few days, and talking about a daughter named Boadicea. It's a favorite here right now, so I was sad to see it taken off your list. Onward!

Oh this is hard. I'm debating Bradamante, Circe and Hecate and I can't decide. Sorry. Let me form some concrete thoughts on the names and maybe by the end I'll decide.

Bradamante- what a namesake! She belongs with Boadicea, and if you can't keep one, I feel the other has to stay. She's wonderfully brave, for sure. Can you get any braver than Bradamante? Doubtful. She's leading the army, clutching her lance, her hair blowing in the wind. There's that 'tee' ending like Aphrodite, but I don't think it's a deal breaker. I would call her Brante. Sort of like Bronte.

Circe- I really don't think I'll be able to decide which name I prefer. Circe is awesome! She's such a wicked little name. There's ambition and secrets in her eyes, and she has a spine of steel. To put it bluntly, she doesn't take shit from anyone. I love Circe! I'm not crazy about the similarities to Aphrodite in sound (the 'ee' ending) or the back to back Greek goddess thing, so maybe save it for later? I do love this name though. I don't care for Cece as a nickname, as that feels so different from Circe to me. I'm not sure Circe needs a nickname.

Cleopatra- I can think of few women who could give Aphrodite a run for her money, but Cleopatra certainly can. Power, sensuality, and laughter that echoes through hallways. Cleopatra does what she wants. Cleo, Cat and Panther are great nicknames.

Guinevere or Gwenllian- I love them both equally, however, I can't see Guinevere and Morgana as sisters. Besides their namesakes not meshing, it's just too over the top to have two Arthurian queens as sisters, especially two such well known names. The average person might not know many of the other females, but Guinevere and Morgana have inspired a sea of other works. If Morgana is a must in your house, Guinevere just won't work. Sorry! Gwenllian, however, does! And how! I used Gwenllian in a fantasy novel once, and to this day she's still one of my favorite characters, so I have a deep love of this name. She's charging right alongside Bradamante, and she is fierce!

Hecate- I only have two issues with Hecate. For one, as a North American, I know for a fact most of the people I know wouldn't get this name at all. I've never been to Europe, so you'll have to be the judge of the people around you. I know a Hecate in Canada, the US or Mexico would get a lot of wrinkled foreheads when they see or hear this name. Two, this feels like an Autumn name to me, not a Winter. Regardless, I love it, and as I mentioned, it's one I'm struggling with eliminating. She can certainly stand up to Aphrodite, though perhaps she's best reserved for a daughter down the road? Two Greek goddesses one right after the other might make naming future children more difficult. I'd take this one out of the running and save her for later.

Isis- I do like this, quite a lot actually, but it's not making my blood sing so I don't have a lot to say.

Morgana- I won't say much here since she's safe. Morgana is delicious. She's just bursting with magic. I love Mora as a nickname.

Nimue or Niniane- Now, you may think I'm a hypocrite, adding Nimue to the top five and eliminating Guinevere, but hear me out. Everybody knows Guinevere and Morgana. I'm not convinced the average person knows Nimue, at least not by this name. Plus, she wasn't at odds with Morgana, like Guinevere was. I prefer Nimue over Niniane because there's something off-putting about the 'Nini' sound. My favorite is Nyneve, but Nimue is my second favorite. I don't think a lot of nicknames come intuitively, so her nickname would have to come either later, from her personality, or have something to do with her middle names. Maybe Mimi?

Hmm, I'm running out of time, and I'm not crazy about the other names so I'll let other people discuss those. I do love Tinuviel, but I think it's best in the middle. And there was a Terpsichore, once upon a time, which I day dream about. Also, whatever happened to Ceridwen? She would be in my top five if she were still an option. I can't use it, so I keep hoping someone else will.